Conditioning appliance for oral and dental use



May 19, 1942. A. w. M CUNE 2,

CONDITIONING APPLIANCE FOR ORAL AND DENTAL USE v Filed April 6', 1940 INVENTOR ATTORNEY damage thereto.

Patented May 19, 1942 QFICE CONDITIONING APPLIANCE FOR ORAL AND DENTAL USE 3 Claims.

roof of the mouth and the oral cavities generally.

A number of devices have been heretofore designed for massaging, and in some cases cleaning the gums and teeth. As far as is known, each and all those heretofore available to the trade have presented some major deficiency or shortcoming, say in ease of cleanliness, lack of satisfactory wearing properties, ineiiiciency for their intended purposes or liability of damage to delicate tissues of the mouth and gums. It accordingly became desirable to design a device for the noted purposes, which will obviate the various difficulties heretofore presented, and it is .accordingly a major objective of the invention to attain a combined cleansing and massaging appliance for gums, teeth and oral membranes, which is extremely durable, is gentle and yet eiiicient in its massaging action on the gums, and yet possesses a most desirable cleaning facility when used on the teeth.

A further object of the invention is attained in a device of the type noted which is highly advantageous, and portions of which are specifically designed for massage of the roof of the mouth; other portions of which are especially formed and proportioned for a thorough yet harmless interdental cleansing operation, and which, generally described, is highly efficient as a multi-purpose cleansing and massage device for the mouth, gums and teeth.

Yet another object of the invention is particularly attained in a massaging element for devices of the type noted, which can be used repeatedly for dental cleaning, in lieu of a tooth brush, and which is so designed as to obviate any possibility of creating tooth ridges or the like.

Yet an additional object of the invention is attained in a device possessing the advantages above noted and which, by using one or both of the paired massaging elements, is selective as to resilience and hence as to pressure brought to bear in massaging the gums or other oral members.

A highly important object of the invention is attained in a device which is particularly designed for and attains an improved result in the exercise of the walls of the blood vessels of the oral membranes, possessing to a marked degree a suction feature for strengthening the gums and mouth membranes, without possibility of The suction effect herein and hereinafter referred to, has reference not to a surface suction on the membranes but to the blood displacement effect mechanically attained by pressure along the blood vessels including the capillaries of the mouth members and gums.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention particularly those attained in an improved structure of a device for the purposes noted, will more clearly hereinafter appear from the following detailed description, considered in connection with the accompanying drawing of a presently preferred embodiment of the invention.

In the drawing, Fig. 1 is an elevation in per-' spective showing one manner of application of the device .to the gums for concurrently massaging the opposite surfaces of the gum; Fig. 2 is a top or plan view of the appliance shown by Fig. l and somewhat enlarged; Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation along line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a section taken transversely of one of the arms of the appliance and an elastic tip, sleeve or cot fitted thereover, Fig. 4 being taken along line 44 of Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a section taken at a right angle to that of- Fig. 4, specifically along line 5-5 of Fig. 3, and Fig. 6 is an elevation in perspective showing an application of the device as used for interdental cleansing.

Referring now by characters of reference to the drawing, the appliance in presently preferred form is generally in the form or shape of tongs, comprising a doubled handle characterized by a pair of substantially parallel arms Ill and l, the arms "being connected at the outer end of the handle structure as through a loop or bight portion [2. In order best to distribute-the resilience exhibited by the tong-like handle, arms l0 and l l are of relatively restricted, yet uniform width from a zone indicatedgenerally at it, outwardly to their free ends. Rearwardly of the portion l3, or toward the loop of the handle, each of the arms 10 and l l is gradually widened say to a zone I4, the loop or bight portion therebeyond being of greatest and preferably substantially uniform width. The thickness or gauge of the handle portion may be uniform throughout. I

As a preference for the material of the handle portion It, I I 12 I prefer to, employ a plastic material, for example Lucite, Tenite or other equivalent plastic, either clear or colored and so sese'lected that, in about the gauge or thickness mentioned, the handle will exhibit the desired resilience. Obviously the material should be smooth with rounded edges so as to avoid abrasive effects on the oral membranes, gums .or teeth. It will be understood, however, that a number of corrosion-resisting metals may be employed in lieu of the plastics suggested, all within the intended purview of the invention. It will also be understood as within the scope of the invention that either of the two arms of the handle portion may be employed separately, each to serve with certain advantages over heretofore existing devices, although the greatest emciency and adaptability for different purposes are attained by using the two massaging elements, later to be described, in connection with the tongs-like or bifurcate handle structure.

Proceeding now to a description of the massaging elements per se, since the pair thereof preferably employed, one on each of the arms H! and II, are or may be identical, a description of one thereof will sufiice to disclose the structure of both. These massage tips, thimbles or sleeves,

so-called for brevity and convenience, are generally indicated at l5 and IE Each of these is formed preferably of a single element of molded resilient material, which, for economy, is preferably of a compounded rubber stock exhibiting a smooth external surface and fine grain. Such stock is preferably compounded to include no gerater proportion of mineral compounding in-' gredients than will permit the tips to stretch slightly on application over the free end of the handle elements In and II. By this expedient the tips I5 and l 5 are elastically retained in frictional gripping relation on the end portions of the handle elements, without being easily dislodged, and yet without requiring any separate fastening elements such as pins or the like, extending through the ends of the handle. The selection of a suitable inherently resilient material for protection of the caps or sleeve elements [5 and I6, is intended to include compounded rubbers of a great variety, yet exhibiting the noted physical characteristics, and also to include so-called synthetic rubber stocks.

Proceeding now to a description of the .particularly desired form and contour of the resilient tips [5 and I6, each thereof is provided with an internal bore I! which is of a section conforming to and yet somewhat less than that of the end of the element or H by which it is carried. The slight difference in section is recommended so that the element when applied, will be slightly loaded or stressed so as to maintain its attachment to the associated handle by friction, In the example shown, this section is approximately rectangular as is that of the free end portion of the handles beyond the zone I 3 of each thereof.

The dimensions of each of the massaging elements have been arrived at as a result of numberless experiments in order best to adapt the device to a great variety of oral conformities and best to adapt the device to the requirements of average gum and tooth arrangements and proportions. As a result of these experiments each of the caps is of an approximate length overall of with a length of bore of An overall or outside width of has been preferred, with an inside width of bore of It is also preferred that each of the caps has a depth overall of 9 or A" with an inside depth of 5". While these dimensions are not to be understood as closely critical, they have been arrived at as representing the best practice for average oral conditions and proportions.

The massage surfaces for each of the sleeves and tips l5 and I6 have been selected to provide optimum form, dimensions and arrangement, arrived at as a result of careful experimentation. Each of the tip elements is characterized by a plurality, preferably four, rib-like projections 20, intervened by recesses 2|, the recesses being of tapering width, as are the ribs, each of the ribs and hence the recesses extending over the full width of the face of the tip by which they are carried, and hence being of some greater length than the width of such face. Each of the ribs is approximately in width at the top, also slightly curved in transverse section as indicated in the zones 22 (Fig. 5).

It is a further preference that both of the opposite faces of each of the tip elements 15 or 16, be provided with a series of spaced parallel substantially rectilinear ribs 20, and by further preference the ribs on the opposite faces, are of relatively opposite inclination so that each set of ribs extends in a direction at an acute angle to those of the set on the opposite face of either tip. This relation is best indicated by comparison of the full and dotted lines indicating the ribs in Fig. 3. It is a further preference that the ribbed faces of each of the tips extend substantially over that portion of the tip or thimble l5 or IE which is provided with the handle-receiving bore.

Although it is highly practical and advantageous to form each of the tips merely as a sleeve element having a closed end wall engaging the free end of the handle by which it is carried, it is greatly preferred to make a, further provision of elements for massage of the roof of the mouth, which elements also serve highly advantageously for interdental massage, as well as interdental cleaning. This provision is exemplified in the form of the device illustrated, b relatively flexible solid yet resilient projections 23, one on the end of each of the sleeves or tip structures l5 and I6. These portions 23 when viewed in a plane parallel to the handle, are of somewhat rounded substantially U-shape, while their depth is more aptly described as of V-shape, as best appears in Fig. 2. It will be noted that the tip portions 23 taper out to a flexible, somewhat rounded extreme edge 24.

In forming the device, the handle, whether of metal or plastic, may be initially formed as a single elongate strip shaped substantially as shown, and bent upon itself centrally to form the loop or bight portion l2 exhibiting relatively less resilience than the free ends l0 and II. When a plastic material is used, experience has shown that the material may usually be molded to provide the requisite smoothness of surface and finish of edges so as to require no additional finishing operation. The sleeve or tip elements l5 and [6 may be of a molded rubber stock formed by known methods in a single operation preferably such that a number of such units are molded and cured at a given time;

Completion of assembly is obviously accomplished by wetting the bore I! of each of the sleeves and insertion of the sleeves over the free ends of the tongs-like handle of the structure.

of course be regulated by the squeezing or clamping of the opposite elements H] and II and the reciprocatory movement imparted to the handle, hence to the massage elements, as vigorously .as may be desired by the individual user.

against the opposite surfaces of the gums may ner as suggested by Fig. 1, whereupon a suitable rotary and/or reciprocatory motion serves to cleanse the tooth surfaces, the biased trend of the ribs, being neither across nor parallel to the tooth axis, cannot possibly injure the teeth in any way, nor will their repeated use tend to produce ridges in even the most delicate enamel. The heretofore mentioned lateral cleansing of the teeth may be augmented by bringing the two arms of the appliance together and utilizing either of the outside tips or surfaces for massaging the grinding surfaces of the teeth. This is desirably augmented bythe concurrent use of the tips 23, specifically the edge portions thereof, for interdental cleaning, for example in the manner suggested by Fig. 6. It has been found that the resilience of the handle upon placing a finger between the two arms enables, after only a preliminary practice, the spacing of the tip elements 23 such that these tips may be concurrently employed on opposite sides of a given tooth or group thereof, to cleanse the interstices therebetween. The edge portions of the soft rubber tips are such that they cannot injure the most delicate tissues and yet will effectively dislodge any accumulation of foreign substance from between the teeth. Yetanother valuable purpose served by th tips 23, particularly the edge portions 24 thereof, is for massaging the roof of the mouth, which practice is particularly advantageous in stimulating the circulation of blood to the mouth tissues. For this purpose it is a preference that the two handle elements be brought as closely together as possible, and used as a single implement or appliance with the tips 23 in slightly spaced relation. The device may be then used with the edge portions 24 being worked back and forth depthwise as well as across the roof of the mouth. It is a preference that when the device is used to augment blood circulation on the exterior gum surfaces, the handle be closed and the massaging device be applied solely to the outside gum surfaces while the teeth are closed, in which position the muscles of the mouth are relaxed. v

An important effect of the use of the device, particularly as a massage element, is attained through what may be, for convenience, termed its suction feature. As hereinabove noted this is not a suction effect directed on the surface of a membrane of th gum or mouth, but is a result derived by thegeneral massaging movement of the rib portions 20 along the blood vessels and particularly the capillaries in which, by mechanically displacing the blood content thereof, there is created a cavitation effect or suction, tending to cause rapid replenishment of the blood supply thus temporarily depleted by displacement action. This is believed to result in the healthy useful stimulation of circulation over the areas on which the massager is used.

It will appear that the device as described, particularly in view of the novel and improved results attained, serves fully to realize each of the objects hereinabove specifically expressed as well as the many advantages implied from the description.

Although the appliance has been described by making a somewhat detailed and specific reference to a preferred embodiment thereof, the detail of description is not to be understood as limiting, but solely in a descriptive sense, inasmuch as numerous changes in the parts and their combinations may be made within the scope.

of the claims hereunto appended.

I claim as my invention:

1. A cleaning and massaging device for the mouth and gums, comprising an elongate sleeve element of a resilient material, the sleeve element being of a transverse section over the greater portion of its length such as to provide a substantially planar lateral face, modified by a set of integral resilient ribs thereon, each rib of the set being arranged at an acute angle to the major axis of the sleeve element, each rib further being of a rectilinear trend and of widely rounded sectional contour, and the sleeve element and so provided with a pair of opposite faces;

a plurality or set of parallel resilient ribs formed on each of said opposite faces, the ribs of each set being arranged at an acute angle to the major axis of the sleeve element, the ribs of each set being arranged at an acute angle to those of the opposite set, and each rib being of a rectilinear trend and of widely rounded, sectional contour, the sleeve element being formed to provide a longitudinal bore over the greater portion of its length, adapted to receive a handle.

3. A cleaning and massaging device for the mouth and gums, comprising an elongate sleeve element of a resilient material, the sleeve element being of a generally rectangular transverse section over most of its length, and so provided with a pair of opposite faces, a plurality or set of resilient ribs formed on each of said opposite faces, each set of said ribs being arranged at an acute angle to the axis of the sleeve element,

rounded outer sectional contour, the spaces be-- tween adjacent ribs of each set exhibiting a distinctly rounded contour and the sleeve element being lengthwise recessed to provide a handle-receiving bore extending over the greater the sleeve element.

portion of the length of ALICE W. MCCUNE. 

